Accidental Landing Gear Retraction

[NinjaBill]

Hi there,

Im not sure if this is the best place to ask, but ill ask anyway..

Im looking for a couple of AAIB reports where undercarrage or flaps have accidentaly been retracted or lowered at the wrong time, by getting the two levers mixed up, leading to an accident or incident.

I have searched the AAIB website, but cant seem to find any. Can anyone here point me to some?

Regards

NB

[2Donkeys]

A search under Beech Baron on the NTSB site is more likely to give you what you need.

2D

[IO540]

There is the usual amount of folklore in GA on this subject; people lifting up the gear when taxiing and crunching the prop.

On most planes it cannot be done unless the squat switches are duff.

However I do know one definite case of a Lance on which a maintenance organisation did this, while working on the plane in the hangar. I have no idea if this can happen on a standard Lance, and I have never met anyone who knows anyone who actually did this :O

[2Donkeys]

A former Baron of mine had this happen to it in the hands of another owner. Barons of different vintages have the gear and flap switches in reversed positions. (Pre 1984, they also have the throttles in the middle and the prop levers on the left, but that is another story!)

Some aircraft have a squat switch only on one gear leg (often the left). A vigorous turn to the right whilst taxiing can be enough to cause an unwanted retraction if the selector is in the wrong position.


Miserable is he who places his faith in squat switches.

The gear position selector switches can also present problems. Citing the Baron once again, these are now lifed items.

One suffered a collapse at Quimper a few years ago when it was involved in a go around. The gear was selected up but thanks to a selector failure, did not retract. A three-greens check was performed on approach, crucially omitting to check that the gear was actually selected down. Once on the ground the gear retracted.

There are loads of this type of accident.

2D

[surely not]

Genair had a Bandeirante that had its undercarriage retracted in error during some testing.

[Kolibear]

The AAIB's search engine is not that good, keep looking, there are a few in there.

A Golden Eagle recently had a fatal crash where the wheels retracted as the weight came off the switch but before the aircraft reached flying speed,

[Stoney X]

Here's a link to one from June's AAIB bulletin - He reached down to select the flap lever to the UP position but inadvertently operated the landing gear retraction lever instead. (http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_avsafety/documents/page/dft_avsafety_029057.hcsp)

Regards
Stoney X

[mad_jock]

It happens and its not limited to low houred pilots either.

Sqwat switchs become contaminated, design "features" mean they are not fail safe ie You need to make the connection to have the protection instead of breaking the connection to allow the protection.

They have tried all sorts to stop the human factors causing it. Wheel shapes on top of the gear handle, flat blade on the flaps. Gear LH flaps RH. And the best form of defense is actually airmanship. Ie never do after landing checks on the roll single pilot. BUt even then it doesn't cover all stituations or engineering cockups.

The time I wittnessed the aftermath it was 2 very experenced IR instructors/examiners and one did the the pre flight checks from the RHS. Automatically reached over and pulled what he thought was the flaps down but because he was in the RHS it was actually the gear. Didn't even get it all the way through just over the gate but it was enough that the nose wheel folded.

Basically thats one of the reasons why insurance is so high on retractables.

MJ

[yakker]

It has happened on Yak's, no squat switches on this aircraft!

[Wide-Body]

Hi Bill

It does happen and is not folklore as some people have suggested. 4 known incidents in the last 36 months and not all yaks, one c337, and PA. Aircraft do lift their gear on the ground, all you need is a bumpy surface (PA- BAe Hawk from memory).

also on approach after a go-around (if you have a look at the ntsb website) often flap selected up instead of gear down, or gear up instead of land flap.

As mj suggests sound airmanship, circuit discipline and post landing checks whilst stationary can help.

Look on the bright side NB, no retract gear on the CAP 10/Pitts.

All the best

Wide

with figers crossed I don't do it myself:{